Germany was all about ‘punitive’ measures following the financial crisis—when it was someone else’s economy in trouble.
Germany’s car manufacturers thought they could continue making efficiency gains with combustion engines until the EV fad was over and everyone retuned to ICE cars. Looks like they were wrong, and that’s no reason to sacrifice the environment further.
Uh, aren’t fines supposed to be punitive? If it’s not punitive it’s just a fee
Just call them “finacial incentive” instead of fees.
They are in fact just financial incentives and in that regard well understood with companies long prepared to work within that system. Everything else is just the usual loud PR bullshit for morons.
See: this German article from about a week ago for example…
The fleet limit was the product of successful lobbying: instead of looking at each vehicle model separately, the CO2 consumption was calculated using arbitrarily determined average values, as it was clear from the outset that the respective vehicle models that were most popular with customers would not be able to comply with the CO2 limit.
For years, it was therefore possible to register vehicles that individually exceeded the limit values by a wide margin, but because the small car (which could just as easily comply with the specified limit values due to its weak engine) could then be offset in the vehicle fleet, the bottom line was that it worked out.
Things got even better for car manufacturers when electric hybrid vehicles were added: The electric car is by definition CO2-neutral (i.e. emits no CO2), and when offset against the combustion portion of such a hybrid vehicle, the result is very low CO2 emissions, thus improving the calculation for the fleet consumption and limit.
In addition, these plug-in hybrids have been subsidized, even though they do not have a decent range. Basically, a fully-fledged combustion engine has been subsidized.
These types of plug-in hybrids have a downright ridiculous range of 50 km and were only introduced in order to calculate the fleet consumption so that the vehicles that have sold best so far (because they are overpowered) can continue to be produced and registered.
If the aim was really to reduce CO2 emissions, then this fleet limit - and therefore also the fleet consumption - should not have been introduced in the first place. The CO2 emissions of each individual model should have been adjusted individually. This would have revealed much earlier that the vehicle manufacturers were not really willing to work on this.
All true, which adds to my actual point. There is exactly no problem with the fleet limits on the manufacturer’s side as they indeed were influental in introducing those instead of actual emission restrictions. Those are financial incentives with a (rather minimal) impact.
And yet -because we live in that absurd non-factual reality only based on feeding bullshit to the moronic masses now- those far too restrictive and punitive fines are killing the industry if we don’t get rid of them… bla… bla… bla… If you only whine enough they will find some more public money and get rid of some more regulation to maximise profits and dividends at the expense of people and the enviropnment.
And even more sadly that’s the talk of the unpopular more pro-climate side in government right now… far more than an absolute majoritiy are actually voting for morons hallucinating about how combustion engines, gas heating, coal and magically appearing nuclear power will save us from the EV, electrification and renewable insanity.
Well congrats Olaf, you just made yourself even more unelectable.
Punitive fines means they can pay themselves out of abiding by the legal limit. This should not be acceptable. Shut down all the cars that are not within legal limits and have the car companies recompense the customers they already sold them to.
The longer we keep these unreformable dinosaurs alive artificially, the more damage it will do to the european economy, environment and people, when they finally fall.
About time this fucking clown is removed from all political positions. He’s been spewing shit from day one.
Unfortunately, the most likely replacement is even worse.
Can we please please please have Habeck? I don’t want Mr. Burns :(
Hahahahahhaahhahhaa no.
Best regards, average German voter
the average German vote is Christian Lindner in disguise :O
Yes, he’s only talking bullshit.
Because that’s exactly the stuff moronic voters want to hear. And it’s the reason the even bigger bullshitters praising how only combustion engines, burning coal, obsolete economic ideas and social policies from 50 to 100 years ago can save us from total destruction will win the next election. Just like the retarted, corrupt and fossil fuel addict conservatives are on the rise everywhere… unless there is an even more backwards far-right of course.
